Socialization is a natural part of human nature. People naturally connect with one another and build bonds. Building strong connections with others is just as important in your professional life as it is in your personal life. Socializing with your colleagues has a positive impact on your perception of the workplace, your sense of contentment, and your career.

Remote work quickly put a halt to many of our normal social activities at work. Water cooler chats, coffee breaks with the team, going out for lunch with colleagues and even in-person team meetings have pretty much been eliminated from the workday. With many of us working remotely, it’s still important to continue to socialize with colleagues. We just need to be creative about how we do it remotely.

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why socializing with your colleagues is important

Socializing with your coworkers can help create a positive and enjoyable workplace environment. It can benefit you on a personal and professional level. Here’s why it’s important to socialize with your colleagues, even when working remotely:

mental health

Socializing at work is good for your mental health and wellbeing. This is particularly important when working remotely and having fewer in-person interactions with others. It can help reduce the feeling of isolation.

team building

Socializing helps you build a strong and more efficient team. It gives everyone a sense of purpose.

collaboration

Teams that socialize together are good at collaborating. They are more open with each other, more receptive to other opinions, and are on the same page.

it’s good for your health

When you are happy, you are more likely to be healthy and look forward to going to work each day. It helps to build confidence and self-esteem. It can also help reduce stress, anxiety, and increase your quality of life.

how to socialize with your coworkers remotely

Socializing has become a big challenge, especially among work colleagues. But there are still ways you can maintain that personal connection with your coworkers and build a strong bond among your team. Here are some great ideas to socialize remotely with coworkers:

team instant messaging

In between emails and zoom calls, you can still stay connected with your team. While you can’t walk over to their desk, you can chat using instant messaging. Set up an instant messaging group for your team to ask questions, collaborate, chit-chat, and socialize as you would at the office.

plan socialization time

While after work drinks and social events are out of the question for the time being, you can still have similar social events remotely. Plan a social happy hour with your team on a Friday. It’s a great way to end the work week. You can get creative and use different themes.

virtual lunch and coffee breaks

Plan a team lunch or extended coffee break from time to time to keep your team connected. It’s a great way to socialize and meet online in a little less formal way.

virtual yoga

Health and wellness is a focal point right now. Why not socialize and get healthy at the same time? Host a virtual yoga, stretching, or exercise class with your team. Have fun with it.

home office virtual tour

We’ve all had to create a home office to work remotely. Host a virtual home office tour and allow coworkers to see how everyone has set up their makeshift offices at home. It’s a great way to get to know coworkers on a more personal level.

binge club

Since we’ve been at home more, people have been binge watching more shows and movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Crave, and other platforms. Set aside some time to talk about what you are watching, make recommendations, and chat about all the drama from your favorite show.

Whether you are in-person or remote, socialization is important to staying happy, healthy, and engaged. It may take a little more work to socialize remotely, but it is well worth the effort.

For additional reading on remote jobs, check out these pertinent articles:

Are you currently working remotely and struggling to adjust to your new workforce reality? check out more content on remote work and work-balance.

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